


Bloodstream

by lmonty



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Action, Adult Situations, Adventure, Alternate Universe, BLOODSTREAM, Blood, Character Death, Drama, F/F, Fantasy, Fluff, Gore, Multi, Multi Chapter, Possible smut, Romance, Thriller, Violence, Zombie AU, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies, abandoned, abandoned work, attack on titan - Freeform, levihan - Freeform, mikannie - Freeform, reiss - Freeform, shingeki no kyojin - Freeform, springles - Freeform, ymir x historia, ymir x krista, yumikuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2017-11-11
Packaged: 2018-12-07 21:21:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11632149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lmonty/pseuds/lmonty
Summary: ABANDONED WORKLife is perfect for Historia Krista Reiss in Trost, where she attends the public high school, lives with her father and sister, and loves every moment.  Everything is absolutely perfect. That is until a disastrous zombie plague breaks out and Krista's life comes undone right before her eyes. If not for an unexpected run-in with a certain stranger, her chances of survival would've plummeted to depths of hell, which sit right alongside this new world, the apocalypse.MULTI-CHAPTER, MULTI-POV ZOMBIE AU[MAINLY YUMIKURI]Other ships will be added, too!Action / Adventure /  Fantasy / Thriller / Romance





	1. Chapter 1

Another blissful morning took effect, coursing through the busy town of Trost. 

Historia Krista Reiss was already up by the morning sunrise, making herself and her lovely sister Frieda Reiss breakfast that consisted of pancakes and eggs, Frieda’s favorite. With a loving smile, she continued to flip pancakes and set them down on the large silver platter placed beside her. 

Due to very unfortunate timing, their father, Rod Reiss, was away on a business trip, and had faithfully entrusted the house and young Krista to Frieda, who happened to be nearly five years older than the former. 

It was very easy to say that Krista Reiss absolutely loved school. She loved waking up early to a wonderful breakfast and setting off to learn and spend time with her friends. She loved the concept of school as a whole. She smiled to herself, excitement and anticipation splashing her like waves.

“Krista?” A sweet voice called from above the steps.

“Yes, Frieda?” She called back with a smile.

The girl groaned, “What time do you have to be at school?”

"Eight o’ clock.” 

Krista could sense her sister’s eyebrows raising. “Wow they’re making it later and later, aren’t they?”

She giggled and responded with an “I guess”, shortly after reprimanding her sister, urging her to hurry down for breakfast before it got too cold.

Frieda came down shortly after, a large grin spreading across her face as she took in the smell of the wonderful food being cooked by her one and only sister.

The taller girl took Krista into a chokehold and grazed her knuckles over her head. “Why is the baby cooking for the adult?” 

Krista protested with a giggle, and pushed herself from her sister’s hold. “Because I’m more useful than you.” She shot back smugly, sticking her tongue out dramatically.

“Can’t argue there.” She giggled back and sat, ready for her tasty breakfast to be set on the table. 

Krista quickly came and placed the platter of eggs and pancakes in the center of the table, and joined her sister shortly. Glancing at the time, she quickly shoveled down the food and readied her things, barely out the door by 7:30. She hastily departed from her home with a brisk goodbye to Frieda. 

Running down the street, she saw the large yellow bus pull up to the corner, and kids started piling in one by one. She made just in time to hop in behind one of the freshmen. Although it was already May, Krista couldn’t brush off the fact that she’d be a senior in the upcoming year. It seemed surreal. 

The usually rowdy bus never failed to blow Krista’s ear drums out every morning and every afternoon. She, as usual, rolled her eyes and plugged in her earbuds, reaching down to her phone to set her music on shuffle. She hummed, smiled, and rested her head lazily behind her on the bus seat. She watched all of the houses and the trees and the streets pass by, and she couldn’t help but grin to herself and how perfect her life seemed to be going. It almost seemed like nothing could make it better. She had wonderful friends, her grades were top-of-the-class, her family was happy at home, and she lived in such a lovely neighborhood. 

Everything just seemed perfect. 

After a while of resting her head, the loud crashes and yelling of children increased as they approached the school, beating right through her headphones and causing her to groan as her peaceful thought train had passed by. 

Standing and grabbing her things, Krista made her way off the bus and into the large school building. She took her usual routine of heading to her locker and then looking for Sasha and Connie. 

Of course, they were both in the corner of the hallway covering each other as they scribbled down random, sloppy answers to the homework they obviously didn’t complete from the night before. Krista rolled her eyes with a light chuckle and went up to greet them.

“Hey, Sasha, Connie!” She greeted with a wave of her hand as she approached.

Sasha’s head didn’t move from the paper as she sloppily wrote down answers that were, most likely, completely incorrect. Connie glanced up for a second and then immediately went back to writing. 

“Hi, Krista…” Connie mumbled under his breath as he tried to concentrate. 

In school, many people knew Historia by “Krista" just because, even to Historia, it sounded much more normal and was easier to remember than her actual first name. Also, she just liked the sound of it.

“You guys... Why would you hold off all of this work until twenty minutes before the class starts?” She sucked her teeth with disgruntlement. 

Sasha shot an answer, “Because some of us aren’t perfect like you, Krista!” 

A light blush spread across Krista’s cheeks. “I’m not perfect, Sasha.” She corrected sternly, but sighed with defeat and just leaned against the locker with a stupid grin. “You guys just don’t juggle your responsibilities.”

“Food is more important than this crap…” Connie muttered defensively, still not lifting his head from the paper.

“Ever consider eating while doing it?”

Neither of them answered.

It wasn’t long until their soft but amusing silence cut through when a group of hard-ass “jocks” came rolling through. They were all set with their varsity jackets and slicked back hair. They seemed to be roughhousing more than usual.

When the group migrated toward the corner with the three friends, it became evident that they weren’t actually roughhousing, rather, two of them were fighting. It seemed the group around them just seemed to be encouraging it and teasing each other in the midst of the fight.

A buff light blonde boy who completely towered over many of the students was going at it with a tall, lean brunette. 

“Just admit it.” The boy pressed, “You’re ashamed of being so gay that you decided to join us, but it doesn’t change the fact that now you just look like a butch lesbian.” An uproar of laughter burst through the crowd.

“Look, look, Reiner,” The brunette turned, hands out in front of her, “We all know that you’re too busy playing with that new erection set of yours to come to football practice.” An uproar of laughter took over the group. “My money’s on him." She pointed to a very tall black-haired male that immediately flushed crimson. “You use it with him, don't you? Awww, I knew it!” 

Reiner’s eyes were flashing furiously. 

“It's okay, Reiner, you know there’s nothing wrong with being-”

A huge fist bashed its way across the side of the brunette’s face. The sound was so loud that it made even Krista wince. Completely overtaken by shock, she places a hand on the cheek that, most likely, throbbed irately. Krista could only imagine the look on the brunette’s face. 

Suddenly, as if a feral animal, she launched herself at the blonde jock, thrashing two hard punches across his face. Eventually, as Reiner grew weary of the situation, he immediately started to attack back, the crowd of boys (and occasionally girls) going wild. Many of them whipped out their phones, and instantly recording the two going at it. Reiner, standing nearly five inches taller than the brunette, seemed more startled and nervous. 

Delivering a kick to his muscular stomach, the girl caused him to hunch forward in pain as she quickly rotated to the backside of the bigger male before savagely kicking him down, causing him to hit face-first on the hard marble floor. 

The blonde regained his footing before sending a punch hard at the brunette’s gut, causing her to hunch in a similar, painful manner. He quickly grabbed her and threw her into the lockers nearly four feet away from where Krista, Sasha, and Connie stood. Krista flinched and bounced backwards, while Connie jumped and continued to watch the fight. Sasha didn’t budge. 

He veered his fist from her collar and delivered at least three punches across her face, blood finding its way out one of her nostrils and trailing towards her chin. Bruises were becoming evident on her tanned skin, although the bruise she’d given him was far more visible due to the ferocity and his skin tone. On her right cheek, one of the punches had cut open her cheek and blood trickled down the side of her face. 

After a few more punches, the brunette regained her own footing and quickly changed positions with him, crushing him into the hard blue metal of the lockers that was lightly streaked with the blood that flew from her face after each hit. She slammed him over and over into the locker, his head making a sickening banging noise as she continuously pushed his head into the closed lockers, all the while delivering punches after each hit. Every blow sent his head to face the other direction due to the force from the girl’s hidden strength. Blood drained from the skin of his face being ripped open by the brunette’s knuckles. Her own knuckles were practically ripped open. 

She kneed him in the stomach a few times before veering and flipping him completely over her shoulder onto the floor that was once behind her. The crowd was roaring, and it had been blatantly obvious who’d won, to many peoples’ (even Krista’s) surprise. Immediately after, someone helped Reiner up and he turned fiercely to the brunette.

“Don’t expect to get away with that, you fucking cunt.” He snarled before limping away, covered by the glares of the boys behind him as they led him away. 

Left panting, bruised and bloodied, the brunette wiped her nose of the blood that trickled down it, followed by the cut on the side of her face. Big hands wiped slowly down her face as she continued to breathe heavily, dazed and tired from the fight she’d gotten with a so-called friend of hers. 

Within seconds, she turned in their direction with a spine-chilling glare. Connie looked down immediately, but Krista continued to watch her. Small, intimidating brown orbs burned into her big crystal ones. 

“What the hell are you looking at, squirt?” She growled. 

Krista instantly tore her eyes from hers. “N-Nothing…” She refused to even glance back at the brunette. 

“That’s what I thought.” She stomped forward, her bicep making rough contact with Krista’s shoulder. She still refused to look at her. She kept her eyes trained on Sasha and Connie’s papers, even as she heard the loud stomping begin to fade away.

When the sound completely disappeared, she reached for her shoulder and rubbed it carefully. “Rude…” She muttered crossly under her breath.

“That… was… nuts!" Connie exclaimed in a half-whisper. “They totally went at it! I thought for sure Reiner was gonna kick her ass but I completely forgot what a powerhouse she is!” He howled. 

Sasha broke her complete focus from her paper, raising it proudly. “Done!”

Krista, with an aggravated tone, rushed them along to their homeroom class. 

Upon entering the class, almost all of the students had taken their seats and Hange was giving them welcoming looks as they entered. Krista sat down in her usual seat, while Sasha and Connie followed suit, sitting in the chairs around hers. 

“Class!” Hange clapped, silencing the chatter amongst the students. “We’ll begin in a moment, just keep your voices down, please!” She requested kindly, stepping out the door and disappearing into the hallway. 

The talking resumed, at a respectful level. Krista was busy with her nose in a book she’d recently picked up on, called The Maze Runner, and was thoroughly enjoying it. She’d picked up not long ago at the local library, and had been obsessed with it for some time. She was almost reaching the conclusion.

She was slowly being sucked into the universe when a terrible, ear-shattering shriek cut through her thoughts from the halls outside.

Many students jumped from their seats and rushed to the door but Hange immediately busted through, slamming the door shut in front of them. Speckles and splotches of blood were stained to her white shirt, and numerous amounts of students were awestruck and at a complete loss for words.

Eren, a shorter brunette boy, spoke up first, “Hange-san! What happened?!”

Hange shook her head, her goggles glinting in the sunlight peering in from the window. She explained, “Everyone get back, away from the door!” The students obeyed hesitantly, still confused. Krista was standing now, completely horrified from the state her teacher was in, startled by the scream and very bewildered as to what was going on, her book was closed on her desk, and Sasha and Connie were beside her. 

“Is that your blood?!” Another frightened student exclaimed from the back of the classroom.

“No, it's not,” She replied collectedly, “You kids won’t believe me when I say this… there are zombies outside in the courtyard. They’re making their way inside, and some have already.” 

The class went into a violent silence. 

“Z-Zombies…?!” Krista whispered loudly, her voice breaking.

The outburst was instantaneous after hers. 

“What do you mean, zombies?”

“Hange-san, are you being serious?!”

“There’s no way that could happen…”

“It must be some kind of sick joke!”

“Silence!” Hange quieted her frantic classroom immediately. “There’s no room for panic. Look outside and see for yourself.”

Practically the entire class rushed to the window. Being on the second floor, a wider range of view was accessible. There seemed to be almost one hundred grayish-green skinned students stumbling and limping around. Their eyes, although it was hard to tell, were completely blank and lifeless, the skin on their perished bodies beginning to rot and fall off. The sight alone made Krista’s stomach turn, and she fought to hold back the big breakfast she'd enjoyed this morning.

This is the end.

Hange’s voice interrupted the shrieks and screams of the absolutely break-taken and mortified children that were witnessing the end of existence as they knew it take shape.

The world is ending.

“Calm down!” She exclaimed, “Are you trying to alert all of the zombies scattered around the school to our direction?!” The class struggled to silence themselves.

The life we knew is gone.

Krista was breathless, her face and body still like a corpse. Her mind was running wild and her face was beginning to turn as pale as a spirit. Fear and terror began to pierce their way into her heart and mind and she felt her body shaking as a result. Many children were in a full-on panic, tears cascading down their faces and their bodies quivering as if the Earth’s plates were colliding. 

What's going to happen now?

The sky seemed to fall down on them all. It turned from sunny and bright to cloudy and murky and dead. 

Krista’s mind and ears were blurring the sounds of Hange trying to calm her students, their shrieks and sobs, the hopeless mumbling. She was blocking all of that out, the only picture stuck in her mind was that of her family and friends; where they were, what they’d do, if they were even alive.

We're so fucked.

“Krista!”

Snapped from her thoughts, she gasped as the life returned to her face. Tears were beginning to pour down from her eyes, but she fought back the sobs that threatened to take control. 

Sasha shook her small friend. “Earth to Krista!” 

Krista blinked a few times and lightly pushed her friend off of her. She grabbed her head and more tears rained down. 

Hange walked past them to the edge of the window, pulling it open. The class turned and their eyes followed their teacher.

“The only way to get out of here is this way.” She stated. When many of the students stared at her with wide eyes and an open mouth, she explained further. “I know it sounds absolutely crazy. But the windowsills are large enough to walk across. Going out through the door is a suicide mission. We need to find another classroom, or another class, that can guarantee our way out. We stick as a group. There’s power in numbers, you hear?”

The students hesitantly shook their heads as they realized how limited their choices were. They began to line up, almost desperately, as Hange stepped out onto the ledge and skillfully, quickly, scooted to the other open window a few feet down, two classrooms down from theirs. 

Eren went next, with Mikasa, Annie, and Armin following. Krista and Sasha were in the back while Connie was somewhere in the middle. As Annie was stepping out, an abrupt, thundering banging noise sounded from the outside of the door of the classroom. Panicked screams echoed the room, and Krista was frozen in place.

Faster than they’ve ever moved, students filed out, almost two at a time onto the ledge as they scrambled to get out of the class. The banging was getting louder by the minute as more corpses piled up against it. 

Just as Sasha was stepping out, the door busted down, and a crowd of the walking dead were revealed past the doorframe. They instantly spotted the two girls as Sasha shrieked, but Krista remained frozen, her eyes wide with sheer horror as they began to stumble toward her, with terrifying intentions hinted in their eyes. 

Sasha was out, but Krista was completely frozen in place. Sasha realized her friend wasn’t behind her and screamed for Krista to wake up and run, but she was rendered motionless. 

It was only until a shriek of pain from outside the room snapped her out of it. With a scream of her own, she practically sprinted out the window and out onto the ledge where the dead couldn’t reach her. Two or three launched for her, only to find themselves over the edge and plummeting to the concrete below. 

Panting with fear, she gathered herself on the ledge, her back leaned against a window of the classroom over. A few of the dead had been walking around inside, and noticed her. They advanced toward her, only to hit the glass head-on. 

Krista couldn’t bring herself to look down, she only looked up into the emotionless sky, and tears flew down her soft, pale cheeks like a waterfall. Her body, distracted and wracked with sobs, nearly shut off her senses, and only when a rotting hand grabbed at her ankle did she realize she wasn’t as safe as she thought. 

With a scream, Krista tried desperately to kick the zombie off of her, to no avail. Sloppy sobs overcame her, and she continued to kick wretchedly. The zombie had slowly crawled out the window and onto the ledge that had been just big enough to hold it, and reached for Krista’s leg in search of a meal. 

She kicked, and kicked, and just as the zombie began to slide off the ledge, it gripped her leg even harder and hung off the side of the ledge with its disgusting hands wrapped around her. She was quickly losing balance, as the rotting corpse weighed more than she imagined. 

She braced herself as she unwillingly began to lean far over the edge, unable to hold all of the weight on a ledge with nothing to hold. 

As if a flash of light, arms wrapped around her torso, and she was forcefully tugged through the once-closed window behind her. She landed roughly on her back as the arms that had her let go of her and the weight on her foot was freed. 

Looking to her side, she came face-to-face with a corpse, and she screamed, only to be abruptly shut up by a large hand over her mouth. Her wide eyes searched for a figure, but only found the few rotting dead that once stumbled around the room limp, lifeless on the floor, unmoving. Blood seeped from their heads, and the door was blocked with a desk.

“Shh!” A hard voice from behind her hissed, “Are you trying to get us both killed?”

The hand was removed from her mouth, and Krista flung her head around to see a familiar scowl. The brunette from the hall, the one who’d gotten into the fight with Reiner, a popular jock and head of the football team, was kneeling beside her, her eyes burning into Krista’s. 

“Y-You…” Was the only thing she could manage.

“Saved your life? Yeah, that’s me.” She got up and plunged a blade into the legless zombie’s head, that same zombie that had once been gripping Krista’s foot for dear life, looking to make a fine meal out of the petite blonde. 

“Gotta be careful, Blondie, the zombie seemed jealous of those pretty legs of yours.” She smirked down at the petrified, breathless girl. 

Shaking herself from the sudden-death experience, she struggled to get to her feet, completely stunned and wordless. It had all happened so quick. One minute she was crying on the ledge with the window closed behind her, and the next she’d almost fallen to her death with a zombie wrapped around her leg.

If it hadn’t been for this girl…

“I…” Krista faced the brunette, realizing how much taller she actually was. She looked as if she were at least a foot taller than her. “T-Thank you…” She breathed. 

“What the hell were you even doing up there?” She asked, seemingly ignoring her thanks. “Zombies are stupid, but they aren’t that stupid, y’know.” She placed a hand on her hip and holstered her switchblade back onto her belt. Her varsity jacket was nowhere to be found. She was in a long gray t-shirt that was rolled up to her forearms. Her jeans were slightly covered in blood, as was her shirt. Her short hair that had once been down was pinned back in a red clip. 

“M-My class… I got separated from my class…” She muttered, almost inaudibly.

A firm, strong hand placed itself on her small shoulder. “Don’t worry, alright?” She consoled roughly, “Not to be a downer but there’s not much chance one teacher and class full of inexperienced idiots will make it very far in this kind of situation.” She exhaled through her nose. “This is a step below from hell.”

Krista shuddered, and tears fell from her eyes rapidly. She grabbed her elbows, crossing her arms and losing eye contact with the stranger with a light blush. 

She couldn’t lie to herself, this stranger was hella attractive. 

“We’ll find some place to stay for now, maybe even your class or a small group. But until then, it’s just you and me." The brunette went on. “We can settle somewhere in the cafeteria or kitchen downstairs for now.”

The brunette turned and swept down, hooking her small black backpack in between her fingers and slinging it over her back. She picked up another backpack for Krista, and turned to head toward the blocked door. 

Krista’s arm snaked out and grabbed a hold of a sleeve that had made its way back to the girl’s wrist. It caused the taller girl to turn with a glint of confusion clouding her intimidating golden eyes. 

Looking up with a light blush, Krista stared her right in the face, gold mixing blue and she said, “Thank you.”

The taller woman blinked and turned away. Krista could’ve swore she saw a blush cross her face, but she left herself to assume. She felt a grin cross her face and a feeling of safety swell her heart and a tingly feeling danced its way across her skin. 

Removing the desk from the doorway, the brunette turned her head slightly to the side, only showing half of her face as her eye stared back at the short blonde. 

“By the way, name's Ymir.” She said, turning back and forcefully moving the large, heavy desk from the door and reaching for the handle.

Krista's smile widened just slightly.

She couldn’t explain why, but Ymir made her feel safer than she’d had the entire time since this nightmare had begun.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER 2~ MESS
> 
> The class is regrouping after they realize the loss of their small blonde friend.  
> Ymir and Krista, now stuck together, head to collect supplies in the basement while looking for a way out of the building.

Sasha had rushed to the window at the sound of the screams from her petite blonde friend, but when peering over, she saw nothing. She saw a blood trail on the ledge up to where Krista once stood, but it cut off at the window. 

The fact was, Krista was probably dead. There was no other explanation.

Traumatized by that realization, Sasha felt her world spinning around her at the loss of her best friend. Connie was off speaking with Hange about leaving to see his family, or so he’d told Sasha before she could even tell him what had happened. 

Her mind was spinning, going at a million miles per hour and her sight became blurry. She felt herself crying and she simply hunched over, leaning against the wall. 

“Where is Krista?” Hange asked suddenly, going over a headcount.

Sasha’s eyes widened before she shakily rose her hand. She spoke broken, painful words:

“Hange-san,” she cried, “K-Krista had been on the ledge but… she’s not with us anymore… There’s a blood trail leading up to the window and it just c-cuts off…”

Hange’s eyes darkened behind her goggles. The idea of losing her students had always done a number on her, even if it was just a simple transfer out of class. Hange was just emotional in that way.

“I see…” She turned back and began counting again. 

Tears surged down Sasha’s face, and she turned to look at Connie, whose mouth was gaping open and eyes wider than she’d ever seen before.

“Listen, everyone,” Hange’s voice cut through the crowd of muttering and scarred students that were shaking, consoling each other, and crying. “We need to get out of the school. Next thing you know, this school will be swarming with the dead; they’ll feast off of the unknowing classes that could even be in session right now. There’s no way of warning anyone, we just need to get the hell out of here.”

Students nodded in agreement. 

“I want to make one thing clear.” She added seriously. “There’s absolutely no room to go and see your families, okay?” Many students gasped and sobbed as the words spilled from her mouth. “Trust me, I don’t relish saying that to you. But by now, God knows where these monsters have spread to. Going to find your families will get you killed.”

Annie rose her hand.

“Wouldn’t staying in a large group just endanger us more?” She asked challengingly.

“Sure, it can definitely be risky. But would you rather go out on your own?” Hange asked, cocking a brow at the defiant girl’s sudden question.

“Honestly, yes.” She answered coldly.

“I can’t stop you,” Hange sighed with defeat, “As much as it breaks my heart, all those who wish to go find your families or go on your own, be my guest. You can leave now, I won’t be the one to hold you captive,” She adjusted her goggles. “If you really wish to leave that badly, please just stay until we exit the school and get to complete safety.”

Annie simply turned away in response. 

Hange was frowning. “I could beg you to stay, but then again I won't force you,” She said again, and it became more and more evident that she was very bothered. “But I'll wish you the best anyway,” She sighed and turned to peek out the window of the door. 

Sasha was barely gathering herself, contemplating what she wanted to do in the end. Did she want to stay with the group, or head out on her own? She knew how to shoot a gun, and knew how to use a bow better than a pencil. Remembering her days of being brought up in the woods with her small village on the outskirts of the state, she was confident that she would be able to make it on her own, or even with a tiny group. She knew that many of the kids in Hange’s group were burdens, just another mouth to feed with no survival skill whatsoever. 

The idea of leaving tempted her.

Maybe if she could convince Connie…

Hange opened the door suddenly and motioned for the kids to silently retreat from the classroom. There were two dead zombies lying on the floor which were killed by Hange as she entered the room. Watching them disappear behind her, Sasha left the room and gathered with the class soundlessly to the stairwell. Hange crouched just slightly as she walked, and then stood upright as all of them got to safety down the hall. 

Thankfully, all of the zombies had scattered from the hall, presumably to find more food that was accessible or simply because they couldn't sense the group anymore. Sasha would never know.

She felt herself reach out to Connie’s shirt, terrified, and gripped the cloth on his shoulder. She felt tears flowing once more, her body wracked with emotion and it was barely controllable. Connie turned and embraced the taller girl comfortingly. She could feel the boy quivering and heard sniffles inhaled through his nose.

Hange led the children down stealthily down the stairs, careful not to make even the smallest sound in case it would attract the horde that was, no doubt, roaming the halls on the bottom floor somewhere. 

Following right behind Hange, the group was quivering and quietly holding back sobs. The group’s tension was palpable. 

Taking them down the hall, Hange led them to the turn. The tensions grew as they neared the turn, and Sasha's heart rate picked up. Hange leaned against the wall before unholstering her knife, and with a deep breath peeked over the corner to be met with nothing but stale, bleak air and a long, empty hallway with flickering lights. 

All of the kids sighed with relief, but they were nowhere out of the clear yet. The group took a moment to breathe and Sasha gripped onto Connie even more. 

Just as they were about to start advancing again, familiar, sickening groans and hisses started from down the hall. 

Every child turned and some even shrieked as the fast moving crowd of undead raced to them at a terrifying speed.

• • •

Krista sat, her back against one of the cabinets as she tried to make sense of the situation. She’d started off with a completely normal, happy day as usual. She’d gone through her habitual routine, the bus, the lockers, the classroom. 

When did all of that go so horribly wrong?

One moment she’d been reading her favorite novel peacefully before class, and the next she was on the desperate run from certain death by zombie. 

She thought about Sasha and Connie and wondered where they were. Did they get out? Or were they fallen prey to the walking dead…

Frieda. Where was she? Did she have any idea where Krista was? Did the mob reach the streets yet? Did they reach her house and break down the door and…

“Oi, shortie,” A snapping voice hurtled her back to real life. “You alive down there? Or should I be worried?” 

When she opened her eyes, she saw the long jeans, coming face-to-face with Ymir's legs. 

She looked up at the smirk and glowing golden eyes. The tall brunette reached her hand down to Krista, and the smaller girl hesitantly took it. Lifting her up onto her feet, Ymir immediately let go of her hand, and turned back to go collect more supplies.

“You know, you could help,” She muttered in annoyance, making sure it was loud enough for Krista to hear. 

Krista felt a grin cross her face, “I could.” 

Ymir glanced back for barely even a second with a challenging look, and then back in the cabinet, where her hands rummaged the drawers and spaces in search of anything. They’d spent a fair amount of time boarding up both doors, using nails and a hammer they’d found in the very back room to the kitchen, full of wood supplies, tools, etc.

At this point, it was more than midway through the day and approaching the evening. She was, honestly, quite exhausted. The panic, fear, and crying had taken a lot out of her. 

The only thing that puzzled her the most was Ymir. She seemed so calm; like she knew what she was doing. She didn’t seem bothered by the fact that she was stabbing zombies in the head that were once her comrades, nor did she seem bothered by the blood and gore all over the place. Her collectiveness and survival skills were almost endearing.

Ymir had been rummaging for nearly two hours now. Krista, although exhausted, had helped some, but sat down to collect her thoughts and rest her head.

“By the way, I don’t plan on staying here long,” Ymir called back as Krista began looking through the top cabinets that Ymir hadn’t gotten to yet. “We’re out of here by nightfall.” 

“Nightfall?” Krista blurted out, “Isn’t that a bad idea?" 

“Nightfall gives us good cover,” She stated simply, “I don't know why I expected you to know that,” She remarked, standing and loading more cans into the black backpack she’d been carrying. 

Krista frowned, “But don’t they come out more often at night?”

Ymir yawned and answered plainly, “The best cover is darkness, is it not?” 

“I guess you’re right…”

Ymir scoffed, “I am right. And if you want to go on with that lovely little life of yours, you won’t question my every move.”

Krista didn’t answer, she simply piled more bags and bottles of water into her own backpack. She frowned slightly. 

“Okay… I trust you.” She said softly, not meeting the brunette’s eye line. 

It was Ymir’s remain silent. 

They both continued working in silence. Ymir snagged a few kitchen knives from their holders and cabinets, shoving them in a smaller pocket closer to her reach for safety reasons. Krista took a knife for herself and lined it up in a side pocket within easy reach. 

It would be a little longer before the sun even began to go down, so Ymir and Krista both explored the quite large kitchen in hopes of finding absolutely anything to do. Although, Krista really did secretly hope that they would engage in conversation. She yearned to learn more about this new stranger. 

“I hope Frieda is okay…” Krista whispered with a sigh. She slumped to the floor and bent her legs, hugging them slightly and resting her head on her knees.

“Frieda?” Ymir’s voice made Krista jump. She came up from the room behind where Krista sat. “That a girlfriend or something?”

Krista’s face went scarlet. “N-No! She’s my sister.” 

Ymir sat down lazily on the other side, sitting against the cabinets that turned against the wall to the left of Krista. She stuck one leg up and bent on leg like Krista’s, resting her arm against the knee. 

She shot Krista a smirk as she said, “The pretty blondes are never straight.”

Krista’s face brightened at the implication, and she turned away with complete embarrassment. 

I mean… she’s not exactly wrong… Krista’s own thought brought a brighter shade to her face by itself. 

Desperate for a change of subject, under her breath, “I hope she’s okay…” Krista muttered again, looking down at the marble floor. 

Ymir didn’t respond. 

Krista broke the momentary silence yet again, “Aren’t you worried about anyone?”

Ymir chuckled darkly. “Not anyone important, no.”

“You don’t have parents or family or even friends that you’re worried about?” Krista pressed, leaning forward slightly. 

“Nope,” She exhaled through her nose, “And I’ll be damned if I’m complaining.”

Krista felt a wave of sympathy crash over her. Ymir seemed a loner by nature. She didn’t have anyone to take care of her (correctly, at least), nor did she care enough to find anyone.

“Well,” Krista continued, “What about your parents?”

“Eh.”

“Eh? They must be worried about you, right?”

She released an amused, breathy laugh. Her brows furrowed.

“I’m sure they are-”

Scoffing lightly, Ymir blurted angrily, “They don’t give a shit. And neither do I.”

Krista tilted her head with confusion, “How do you mean?” 

She was immediately cut off by Ymir’s angry exclaim, “When you have a mother who abandons her child and a father who drinks like a fucking fish, you find it just a little bit hard to care about anyone!”

Realizing her outburst, her breath quickened from her sudden explosion and a light blush riddled her cheeks. She wiped her mouth and stood up abruptly.

“Ymir…” Krista breathed.

“Just-!” Ymir cut her off straightaway, “Just shut up,” She grabbed her bag and flung it over her shoulder, tossing the heavy backpack down to Krista.

“Let’s go, we’re leaving,” She hissed.

“Ymir!” Krista stood, gaining the brunette’s attention quickly. 

She turned, barely facing her, her eyes trained on the floor to her side. 

“I’m so sorry,” Krista whispered brokenly.

Ymir frowned again and growled, “Save it. Let’s just go, I don’t want to be here anymore. It’s damp and depressing and night’s practically here anyway.”

Taking the sledgehammer that they’d found with the normal hammer in the back room, Ymir busted down the barriers, quite carelessly, and made her way through the sharp wood. She was about to continue before she turned and reached for Krista’s hand through the wooden spikes sticking out in all directions.

Krista smiled gratefully, sweetly, before grabbing her big hand and pulling herself through the barrier. When she landed safely, she followed Ymir carefully through the hallways, her thoughts and assumptions running wild.

If she would’ve known of Ymir’s horrible past, she never would’ve pressed that hard. She chastised herself mentally for pushing. Based on what Ymir had said, Krista had gathered that her mother abandoned her, and left her to deal with an alcoholic father. No wonder she seemed so rude and careless. 

Ymir cautiously turned the corner, and once she’d seen it was clear, signaled to Krista to move forward with her.

Krista reached out and grabbed her shirt which resulted in Ymir turning around to see the smaller girl clutching her shirt with agitation and panic. Krista could see Ymir roll her eyes before turning and continuing slightly slower for her.

Honestly, Krista couldn’t help herself. She felt panic capturing her, her heart beating much faster than normal and goosebumps rising to her skin. Her immediate response was to clutch something and Ymir was standing right in front of her. The stranger that she’d found herself immediately trusting and safe with after she'd inevitably saved her life. 

Once they hit another corner, Ymir stopped and turned to Krista.

“Okay," She whispered, “Here's the plan. I know there’s an exit through the gym down the hall, but I don’t know if it’s locked. But there are exits around it, more specifically, a secret exit through the girls' locker room that the custodian never locks that will get us right out of here,” She nodded down to her, “So just follow me, okay?” She forced a smile. 

Krista smiled back, more genuinely, “Okay.”

“Good,” Ymir sighed in relief, turning around. She turned her head back around as she whispered, “And if you need to hold onto me, go ahead.” 

Krista immediately grabbed onto her, one hand free in case she needed to reach for her knife on the side of her bag. 

Ymir took initiative and led her swiftly down the hall, the moans and groans of the undead echoing throughout the long passages. They were close, but not close enough. The gym door was finally in their sights. They both bolted for it, Krista losing grip on Ymir’s shirt. She didn’t care, though, she just pushed forward behind Ymir. She could tell Ymir was much faster, but she wasn’t pushing as hard in order to stay with her.

Ymir burst through the gym door with a kick, and they were greeted with a room full of flesh-eating monsters that all turned to them as they heard the large, heavy door bust open with a loud crash. 

Standing still, a horrified Ymir could only stare at the incoming death before her. Krista pulled her back with a cry and Ymir snapped out of it. She shook her head vigorously before grabbing Krista's hand and running faster than she’d ever ran before. 

Krista, struggling to keep up, was pulled at speeds unimaginable. She turned her head and shrieked when she saw the crowd was following the two of them. But Ymir, being as fast as she was, was able to turn corners and hopefully confuse the horde. 

She didn’t know what her plan was, but Krista just gripped her hand for dear life, feeling the tears streaming down her face. Eventually, Ymir stopped and found a ladder, pulling herself up onto it and reaching down for Krista to climb the short ladder into a crawlspace between the floors. It was dirty and dusty and reeked, but they were both able to fit, Krista having to duck her head and Ymir having to squish her long body into a ball in order to fit. They closed the trapdoor and recovered their breath in huge pants. 

“I’m sorry…” Ymir hissed under her breath, “I froze when I saw the huge mob. I don’t know why, but…”

Krista shook her head and whispered, "Don't worry. I did the same thing back in the classroom,” She explained, “We were all escaping through the ledge on the window, and Sasha and I were the last ones out. I was about to go when zombies threw down the door and I just froze…” She shuddered at the memory.

“It’s fine,” Ymir dismissed it quickly, “Let’s just try to find a way out of this shit-hole.”

“Where even are we?” Krista coughed as dust flew threw into her nose.

“We’re literally in between the floorboards from the first floor and the basement of the school,” Ymir explained, “I know it’s dark but we’re gonna have to crawl our way out of here and hopefully find a vent or something.”

“But we’re not in the vent system?” Krista pointed out, confused.

She shook her head, “We don’t have to be in the vent system to find a free vent or even another exit,” She explained, “I remember when the school was doing work on the beams down here, they inserted these ladders and the metal trapdoors to be able to get in here. Maybe there's another one somewhere,” She muttered with a glance around.

“You’re right,” Krista agreed, “Let’s just look around.”

They both headed north from the entrance. They crawled through the broken beams and the dust bunnies that continuously flew into their noses and mouths and eyes. The groaning underneath them was obviously very scary, and one wrong step and either one of them could be sent through the roof into a crowd of the walking dead. 

Finally, Ymir stopped and turned herself around carefully, doing her best not to kick Krista in the face. 

“The gym is off to the right,” She clarified, “And if we go that way, maybe, just maybe, there’s a vent or a ladder.”

Krista nodded and started to follow her.

Once they reached the area that Ymir knew was over the gym, they began to search diligently, not missing a single square inch of wood or cloth or dust. 

“Hey!” Ymir shouted in a whisper, signaling for Krista to make her way towards her. 

Although she couldn’t see well, she could just barely make out Ymir’s large shape in the darkness, hovering over a small patch of light. She arrived and saw what Ymir had called her for.

A closed vent, just big enough for the two to fit through. Ymir pulled out the hammer from the kitchen, and carefully undid the large screws. Krista stood back while she pulled off the vent cover. It led down to the mini stage they had in it, which had a ladder just beneath it. With a sigh of relief, Krista offered to go first, but Ymir was already shoving herself through. 

“It’s clear down here,” she pointed out as she made her way down, Krista following.

Ymir landed on her feet before helping Krista down. The gym was clear, save for two or three zombies that roamed around the floor. One of them had no legs or waist, just a crawling corpse with ribs, shoulders, arms, and a head. 

Ymir held her finger up to her lips and Krista nodded in understanding. They both made their way quietly, tip-toeing across the stage. Their darker clothes camouflaged them fairly, and they made nearly no noise at all. They reached the steps which were just mere feet away from the girls’ changing room. They pushed the door open which made a small creak, but not loud enough for the zombies to here. Both girls hurried inside and locked the door behind them.

Krista let out a “phew” and Ymir smirked. It seemed her normal attitude had returned. It brought a relieved grin to Krista’s face. 

“I’m sorry for pushing so much before,” Krista blurted out, almost accidentally, “I had no idea…”

Ymir watched her for a few moments silently, those intimidating brown eyes burning into her features before she exhaled through her nose and closed her eyes with a large smirk spreading across her lips.

“Don’t worry about it, shortie,” She waved her hand dismissively, “Sorry ‘bout my temper. Like I said, when you got such shitty parents, it doesn’t take much to not care,” She paused, turning. She solemnly turned her head around and smirked, “Or care too much.”

Krista exhaled with relief and followed Ymir through the empty locker room. She’d always heard there was a door that girls used to get out of gym, but she never knew where it was located. 

Ymir led her to the very, very back of the locker room into the corner where there was, in fact, a door. She opened it hesitantly and cautiously. A blast of cool air hit them both in the face and Krista’s gasped in delight as she realized they were out. Ymir’s triumphant chuckle echoed in the night air as she raised her arms with success. 

They both stepped out into the chilly, dark air. No zombies were heard; it was so quiet. The crickets sounded from within the trees, the normal sound of cicadas and even an occasional frog made it seem like a normal night. No zombies, no gore, no horror. Just the peaceful darkness of a normal nighttime. 

But the reality struck them both as a distant groaning made itself heard, and both Ymir and Krista were back on high alert. They both surveyed the area around them, but no zombies were visible, even in the fading light of the street lamps all around. 

Ymir turned to Krista and whispered a new plan, “Alright, first thing’s done,” She said as she looked up at the school building, “Now we just need to get the absolute fuck out of here. So,” She pointed to the edge of the building behind her, “Going around there, we can get to the staff parking lot and hopefully find a car, maybe with keys or one that’s on,” She pointed forward, and Krista turned, “If not, we’ll head for the student parking lot. I’m sure there’s at least one late student that was ambushed in their car by these things. But the teachers probably have their cars in better condition, you get what I’m saying?”

With a curt nod and a grin, Krista watched her intently, listening.

“So let’s head this way, okay?” She turned slightly, reaching for her switchblade, “You get that kitchen knife of yours, and you hold it. Do not let that thing go for one second. The chances of an ambush are high, especially in the dark.”

“Yes, ma'am," Krista responded with a wink. 

Krista could see Ymir's face heat up and she turned quickly, motioning for Krista to follow carefully. For a good five minutes, Krista had this dumb grin as she followed behind the tall brunette. 

“I really don’t feel like having to start the car by opening it up and shit so let’s just find an easy take, yeah?” She called quietly from in front.

Krista nodded, “Understood.”

Once they reached the corner of the building, Ymir peeked over and saw no zombies in sight. She sighed with relief and with a less hostile manner proceeded forward, followed by Krista. Ymir broke out into a run, startling Krista, but she quickly followed suit hastily, almost keeping up with her. 

Ymir headed for the first car, a blue Ford, and fumbled with the handle, ultimately realizing it was locked. Behind her, a gray Sedan, sat with a window broken. Although, there was no way of easily starting the car.

Krista decided to help, straying a few feet to a white Crossover SUV, and found a broken driver’s window with a limp person inside. Krista stared at it for a few seconds before it woke suddenly with a hiss, making her shout in surprise. It tried to reach for her but was restrained by the seatbelt.

Ymir came running over right away. 

“Are you okay?” She asked urgently, her knife unholstered. 

“I’m okay,” Krista answered simply, “This guy just spooked me,” She said with a point to the window.

Ymir’s eyes widened, “This car's on, the keys are in!” She exclaimed, pushing Krista back as she opened the door and brought the blade into the zombie’s head. It went limp as blood gushed from its wound, and Ymir unbuckled its belt and pulled it out of the car and onto the floor.

She grabbed the handle and got in. She pointed to the passenger’s seat over her shoulder with her thumb to Krista, who was still standing outside the door.

“Plan on getting in, blondie?” She asked, "We don’t have all night,” She pointed out with a stupid smirk.

Krista rolled her eyes and ran around, opening the door and sliding in, closing it behind her. Ymir closed her door next to her and ran her big hands along the steering wheel. She was smirking the entire time, and Krista caught herself staring. 

“Always wanted a bigger car," Ymir muttered, mainly to herself, “I have a smaller one, but it’s kinda in the works right now, but who knows where the hell it is now… What a mess…” She sighed with a pause, then snapped herself out of it, “The fuck am I doing?” She floors it loudly, speeding out of the parking lot and away from the school.

Krista turned her head to watch the school disappear in the distance, unsure if she’d ever return, or if she’d ever see her friends that were most likely still in that school. She knew that she and Ymir had to leave, though, for their own benefits and safety. As sad as it made her, she knew it was the only thing they could do on behalf of themselves.

“Don’t worry, short stack, they ain’t all dead, trust me,” She assured, her eyes on the road, “You’ll find them again.”

“I hope you’re right…” Krista mumbled, resting her tired head on the window, looking out. “God, I hope you’re right Ymir.”

The slow, peaceful humming of the car and Ymir’s soft breathing was lulling Krista to sleep as she felt her eyes begin to close and her head began to feel lighter. Eventually she dozed off, the image of the school disappearing replaying over and over in her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!  
> I was breath-taken by the sheer amount of support I was given on this! It inspired me to write it faster, honestly. Thank you to all of those who enjoyed it enough to leave a Kudos or a sweet comment!  
> This is a pleasure to write, and I can't wait to start on Chapter 3!  
> Until then :)  
> ~ Jason
> 
> Don't forget to follow these accounts for more updates and stories!:
> 
> My Wattpad: Mountain_Phoenix (AmazingJace)  
> My Tumblr: AmazingJace  
> My Twitter: _AmazingJace_


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER 3  
> After successfully escaping the high school alive, Ymir and Krista set their sights for the big city, all the while making a few pit stops. On the way, the two ladies learn to bond and cope with one another, and share quite a few interests both emotionally and, well, romantically.

Krista’s eyelashes fluttered open softly as dawn light peered through the window of the SUV. The engine was still roaring.

 

With a yawn, Krista sat up and stretched her arms, knuckles bumping against the roof of the surprisingly clean car. She glanced over to the ruggedly handsome Ymir, whose eyelids were drooping and stained purple with exhaustion. Ymir had taken out her red hair clip, and her unexpectedly short hair was pressed against the headrest of the driver’s seat. She was frowning and her eyes were glued to the road. She seemed to be slowly deteriorating. 

 

Krista caught a glimpse at the time, it read 5:24am. 

 

“Ymir…” Krista groaned with another stretch of her arms and back. 

 

She snapped out of her exhausted trance on the road and turned her head to the smaller blonde, slowly.

 

“Morning, squirt,” She remarked quickly before turning back to the road.

 

Krista leaned over, elbow planted on the compartment in between the two front seats, her head resting on her palm. 

 

“You seem completely worn out,” Krista stated with a small grin.

 

Ymir rolled her eyes, “You don’t say.”

 

Sitting up, Krista glanced back at the screen, realizing the radio wasn’t on, nor was there any noise at all besides the humming of the car’s engine.

 

“How long have we been driving?” She asked, glancing at the brunette.

 

“About four hours.”

 

“You’ve been sitting in complete silence for four hours?”

 

“Pretty much,” Ymir shrugged. “I turned on the radio softly after you fell asleep, but there wasn’t much on. A lot of the stations are down because of this disaster.”

 

Krista responded with silence. If only she knew how to drive better…

 

“I mean–” She started, “–I know a little bit on how to drive… I remember Driver’s Ed and stuff, but I never actually had to drive a car. I always took the bus,” she explained. 

 

Ymir didn’t answer for a moment.

 

“Well, it’s fine,” She finally said. “We’re trying to get to Sina, but that can take days. We’ll run into the cities, Maria and Rose… probably run into a metric shit-ton of towns and districts on the way. Guaranteed they’ll all be overrun, so we got a fight ahead of us.”

 

“Why Sina?” Krista asked quickly with a quick turn of her head.

 

“Sina's the farthest into the country,” Ymir explained. “It’s probably the most sterile, and/or safest. I'm sure there’s a fuck load of people there; scientists, doctors. We can get help and protection.”

 

Krista pondered quietly before adding, “Won’t everyone be going there?”

 

“You ask too many questions, midget,” Ymir grumbled. “Everyone’s goin' there looking for the same thing: Safety. If something goes wrong, you’ll have me here to protect you,” she added the last part hesitantly. 

 

Krista paused before whispering, “Thank you…”

 

Ymir grunted in response. 

 

The car hummed and the two sat in silence. Krista was debating viciously in her head whether or not to talk to Ymir, but she seemed to tired and snappy, so she left it alone… for a few minutes.

 

She couldn’t resist. There was so much about Ymir that she didn’t know, so much she longed to find out. She figured that now was the time to talk to this heroic stranger that she found herself trusting so much.

 

“So-”

 

“Shit,” Ymir cursed, hitting the wheel. “We’re gonna run out of gas soon, I just realized.”

 

Krista shut up immediately, now focused on the new task at hand. 

 

Ymir stopped the car along the side of the road, resting her pointer finger on her jaw and tapping.

 

“We’re gonna have to find a gas station or another car,” She planned, mostly to herself. “I'm trying to think… I've been here a few times… Gas stations…” She screwed her eyes shut.

 

Krista recognized the area, remembering a family trip they took to Stohess the year before. It was a beautiful district where her uncle lived, and they visited for the first time last year.

 

“I’ve been here once before,” Krista offered. “I think I know where we can stop.”

 

Ymir glanced at her silently, then complied with a sigh.

 

“Alright,” She breathed. “I’m trusting you, blondie.”

 

The statement sent a jolt down Krista’s spine.

 

Nodding vigorously, Krista pointed shakily to a nearby side street.

 

“You have to turn here on Adams Ave,” she explained. “Take that down all the way to Philly Place and on the corner of Housing Street and Philly there’s a station there. My father stopped there last year on the way to Stohess.”

 

“Stohess…” Ymir turned to the wheel with her eyes slightly wider than before. 

 

Krista hummed in confusion.

 

“Stohess!” Ymir shouted with a smile. “There’s guaranteed to be something there, right?” She exclaimed, “Maybe an apartment or something, anything.”

 

“Ymir…” Krista sighed, laced with a laugh. “You’re so tired…”

 

“God damn, I’m exhausted but if there’s a chance we can get to a nice comfy bed before daybreak, I’m in.”

 

Ymir smiled with anticipation, leaning her head forward and resting her head on the steering wheel, both hands still gripping its sides.

 

With a breathy laugh, Krista placed her hand on Ymir’s. 

 

“If you want me to drive, I can.”

 

Ymir rolled her head over to look at the small blonde, who was smiling at her with kindness. She sighed with defeat.

 

“If you don’t mind, just for a while…” Ymir muttered just above a whisper, relieved.

 

Krista opened her door carefully, peeking out to make sure they were alone and not being chased by another horde of undead. She swiftly brought herself around the car, where Ymir exited the driver’s seat, quite carelessly for her normal cautious and sharp self. She slowly made her way to the passenger’s side and hopped in.

 

Sitting at the wheel, Krista felt her stomach suddenly fill with self-doubt, a hesitation that she couldn’t stop, but there was no more turning back now. Ymir had saved her life more than once, and if weren’t for her, she wouldn’t be here right now. The least she could do is drive them for a little while until they reached Stohess while Ymir slept. 

 

Groggily, Ymir’s head hit the window and her eyes closed. She smiled to herself and muttered, “You know what I could go for right now?”

 

“What’s that?” Krista said, igniting the engine of the car.

 

“Coffee,” Ymir grunted with a chuckle. It almost seemed like she was drunk or something.

 

Krista laughed, and sighed, “Why not?" 

 

Her head shot up, “Wait, seriously?”

 

“Mhm,” She hummed and smiled at the taller girl sitting next to her. “I’ll get us there.”

 

Ymir’s eyes closed as a goofy smile spread across her face, “I’m so glad I saved your ass, squirt.”

 

Krista’s heart fluttered and she stepped on the gas, carefully, bringing the car back onto the road. 

 

Within minutes, Ymir had passed out on the passenger’s seat. And Krista rendered herself helpless to staring. 

 

Ymir looked so peaceful. Her normal frowns and smirks were nowhere to be found. Her brows weren’t furrowed, her eyes weren’t squinted. She was just… asleep. She was peaceful and quiet and so utterly attractive that Krista could barely contain herself.

 

She found herself completely taken aback as the car drifted on the open road towards the town where she’d find them food, coffee, and gasoline. It was only when the car went off said road that Krista was snapped from her daze, and Ymir flew forward, head hitting the glove compartment.

 

“Ymir!” Krista screamed, unbuckling her belt and reaching over to shake Ymir as blood ran down from her forehead.

 

She groaned and moved back in her seat, gripping her forehead and looking down at the blood at her hand.

 

“Really, shortie?” Ymir growled. “Couldn't drive a car for less than a half hour without crashing it?”

 

“I-I’m sorry!” Krista stammered, “I-I just… I wasn’t paying attention!”

 

“I couldn’t tell,” she rolled her eyes and was about to exit the car to switch seats with Krista, when Krista locked the doors.

 

“No,” She protested. “Let me get us there.”

 

Ymir watched her hesitantly, “You're gonna get us killed. Just let me do it.”

 

“No!” She shouted. “I got this. I know why we went off, I’ve got it,” She insisted in a small pant.

 

Ymir sighed before slumping back in her seat and made a show of putting her seatbelt on. She gave her a warning glare before resting her head back on the window’s edge and hummed quietly as sleep tried to take over her once again.

 

Regaining her breath, Krista backed up onto the road, hoping the scuffing of the ground and veering tires didn't attract any dead to them. She kept her eyes on the road this time, with the occasional helpless glance to the sleeping girl next to her. 

 

She continued in silence for nearly ten minutes before pulling up to a small Starbucks on the corner, gently nudging Ymir awake.

 

Immediately, her response, “Coffee?” She groaned as she sat up.

 

Krista giggled softly, “Yeah, we're here.”

 

“Sick,” Ymir seemed awake instantly, practically jumping out of the car and hastily making her way to the door of the famous Starbucks, and pushed it open cockily. 

 

She turned to Krista with a smirk, “Best thing about the apocalypse, everything you ever wanted from the stores and shit are free.” 

 

Krista rolled her eyes with a laugh and followed suit. Ymir slid over the top of the counter, not even bothering to use the gate. The Starbucks was in pristine condition, almost as if the zombies had never gotten in at all. But the murky, gross smell of the rotting dead still lingered throughout the facility. Oddly enough, no groaning or sighing was heard anywhere. It seemed that any of them that had been in here had made their way out. 

 

"Shit!" The sharp, rough curse came from behind the counter, now out of Krista’s view.

 

A concerned Krista made her way to the source of the shout.

 

“What's wrong?”

 

“Nah, nothing, there’s none prepared,” Ymir sighed with distaste, and leaned against the wall in thought. “What the hell are we gonna do? I was promised this,” She shot a slightly amused glance at Krista.

 

“You were,” Krista agreed with a grin. “What a shame it’d be if you didn't have me with you, since I know how to brew coffee.”

 

Ymir turned her head slowly to look at the blonde.

 

“My sister Frieda used to work in the Starbucks in Trost,” Krista explained with a cheeky smile, “And she may or may not’ve taught me a few things.”

 

Ymir’s eyebrows furrowed as a smirk appeared on her face, “You’re somethin’ else, shortie,” She straightened herself out, placing a hand on her hip. “You’re a life saver.”

 

Ymir’s eyes were still purplish from being absolutely dead-tired. 

 

Krista scooted herself toward the machine, placing in the paper and grinds, filling the pitcher slightly with water and placing it under, working her magic on the machine’s buttons and numbers. Ymir watched in awe as she did her sorcery. 

 

A few moments later, she pulled out the pitcher, full of the delicious brown liquid that made her own mouth water, and judging by the look on Ymir’s face, her mouth wasn’t very dry either. 

 

Pouring it into their own separate cups, not before adding sugar and milk like usual, Krista capped the first one and handed it to the tall brunette who stood, shocked. She greedily reached out and grasped it, taking it from Krista’s fingers and chugging down gulps at a time.

 

“Careful, it’s hot!” Krista exclaimed, wincing as she watched Ymir chugging down the freshly warmed liquid. 

 

Ymir looked down at her, coffee dripping from her lips, “I literally don’t care. It’s been way too long since I had this,” she groaned before gulping down more.

 

Krista laughed, taking a slow sip from her own. The warm, bittersweet fluid made its way down her throat, and she felt her body shiver from the wonderful warmth and even better taste. It really had been too long since she’d drank some, just like Ymir. When she thought back, it'd been less than 24 hours since the outbreak hit the school, but it’d felt like days. 

 

“Alright, plan of action, ma’am?” Krista asked in a mocking tone, sipping again and lifting herself up on the counter while Ymir leaned against it.

 

Ymir smirked, slamming her finished, dripping cup down onto the clean counter, littering it with drops of coffee. 

 

“Alright, squirt, this is what we’re doing,” Ymir began, before Krista cut her off.

 

With a frown, Krista placed a hand on her hip, “You do realize my name isn’t ‘squirt’, ‘midget’, ‘shortie’, ‘blondie’, or whatever the hell else you’ve been calling me,” She stated with a deadpan, exaggerating each name as it passed her lips. 

 

“Oh, I know, you already told me,” Ymir shrugged, her smirk intensifying. 

 

Krista cocked a brow, “Oh? Then what’s my name?”

 

Ymir blew a raspberry, “Krista.”

 

“Wrong, actually,” Krista said, a smug grin crossing her face, the hand holding the coffee flicking in Ymir’s direction before she drank again.

 

It was Ymir’s turn to raise a brow.

 

“What? You told me it was Krista literally yesterday.”

 

“Who says I couldn’t have been lying to protect myself against some random stranger?” She mused, her grin spreading wider across her face.

 

Ymir snickered, “You sly bitch. What’s your actual name?”

 

“Well, ‘Krista’ isn’t exactly wrong, I’ll be honest,” She explained. “But it’s not my first name.” 

 

“Then what the hell is your first name?”

 

Krista raised a finger, “I barely know you.”

 

“But you trust me, don’t you?” Ymir challenged, narrowing her intense gold eyes.

 

“Sure,” Krista shrugged. “That’s a given since you saved my life. But I don’t really know you,” she exaggerated the ‘know’ a bit too much for Ymir’s taste.

 

“Fine,” Ymir put her hands up, closing her eyes. She blinked them opened again milliseconds later, her hands still up.

 

“I’m Ymir Fritz, I’m 17, I went to Trost Regional High School before this shit-stain of a world went to hell, I played for the Varsity soccer team, and I’m into girls. There.”

 

Krista’s eyebrows went up, impressed. But the last part struck her. 

 

“Okay, fair enough,” Krista copied her. “I’m Historia Reiss, I’m 16, I went to Trost Regional High School as well, I was a Grade A student, and I’ve never been into anyone, so, yeah.” _I also like girls._

 

Ymir clapped, exaggeratedly, “Well done, Historia.”

 

Krista’s face flushed, “Y-You don’t have to call me that! I prefer Krista anyway…”

 

“Really?” Ymir rose an eyebrow. “With such a pretty name, why would you wanna be called anything else?”

 

Krista flushed again, and turned away from her. 

 

“Let’s just get gas, alright?” She sighed. “Call me what you will.” Part of her hoped Ymir would continue to call her Historia. The way she said it gave her confidence. It sounded sweet, delicious, almost. When it rolled off her tongue it almost sounded… sexy.

 

“Alright, shortie,” Ymir said with a shit-eating smirk that made Krista spin around and glare at her.

 

Ymir laughed, advancing, placing a hand on Krista’s long blonde hair and ruffling it lightly. Ymir gave her a toothy grin before stepping toward the door, Krista following suit. 

 

They both entered the car quickly before anyone or anything saw them. Locking the doors, Ymir slumped down in the driver’s seat once again.

 

“Alright,” She cleared her throat. “Plan of action,” She rubbed her hands together comically, queuing an eye roll from Krista. 

 

“We get the fuck out of here,” she said simply with her hands motioning her every word. “And we head for a shelter, somewhere nice where we can just buckle down and settle.”

 

“Sounds good to me,” Krista agreed with a light shrug and a giggle. The coffee was beginning to spread through her bloodstream. It gave her an energy and, oddly, a hope that wasn't present before. The adrenaline, along with Ymir’s strong, safe arms… She made it a goal to wrap herself in them at some point. 

 

Ymir smirked, “I'll drive, but do you know of any place we can go, shortie?”

 

“The Ambark Hotel?” She suggested. “It’s a pretty highly popular hotel, very well cared for and usually full of people with luxurious rooms and such.”

 

“Nope, won’t do,” Ymir shot it down immediately.

 

Krista didn't know whether to take that personally, and crossed her arms, “Why not?”

 

“The more people, the more zombies,” Ymir explained simply. “And the more zombies, the more trouble that I really don’t feel like dealing with at the moment, so that’s out.”

 

“Doesn’t that contradict your whole ‘let’s go to the city’ plan?” Krista challenged.

 

Ymir went silent.

 

After a moment, she replied, “In the city, sure, there’s more danger, but there’s better chances of getting help than in the middle of Trost and Stohess, get it?”

 

Krista didn’t answer. She didn’t know whether to doubt her plan or to put more faith in her than she had already.

 

But a constant thought tugged at Krista’s mind. Something that she debated with in the back of her mind for the entire time since Ymir had pulled her through that window and Krista looked up into those mystic golden eyes. When she saw the freckles that adorned her face, her tanned skin and short hair that fell at the sides… 

 

Could the reason why she seemed so safe and hopeful with Ymir was because there could be other feelings besides debt and gratefulness involved?

 

But she would shoot it down instantly. 

 

No, of course not. She’s never felt anything like that for anyone, ever. 

 

That wasn’t just going to change suddenly over a few stupid hormonal urges. 

 

Krista shook her head, shaking off the thought of the handsome brunette to her left. 

 

Her thoughts floated off for a long time, consisting of her family, friends, Ymir, and the future. But mostly Ymir.

 

Krista had no idea where her family was. All she knew was that Ymir was right. In order for them to survive, they needed to put everything that once was behind them. “If there was any chance of them being able to live, they needed to fend for themselves and accept the fact that those we once knew or lived with or loved are dead,” she’d stressed that enough when they were in the kitchen of the school.

 

Her father had been on a business trip to God-knows-where, and he was probably long gone. Her sister, her beloved sister Frieda, was back at home. Key word, was. Krista had no clue where she was, where she could be, or if she was even alive at this point. 

 

Krista watched as the buildings passed by. Once they looked beautiful and spotless and crawling with live, happy people. They were bright and well-managed and now they just looked… dead. Lifeless.

 

But so did everything else.

 

Except her and Ymir.

 

Right now, there was nothing else but her and Ymir. 

 

“We’ll be there soon, shortie, don’t die on me,” The familiar voice cut through her mind like a hot knife blade in butter.

 

Turning her head, Krista was met with an intense smirk. She stared for a moment before turning her head and looking away, blood rushing to her face and the pink tint adorning her cheeks. 

 

“‘Nother ten minutes or so and we’ll be there just hang tight,” She chuckled, not turning her head from the road ahead.

 

Krista nodded briskly, silently. 

 

Her mind wandered off back in thought, and soon silence and blackness consumed her.

 

• • •

 

“Looks like you died on me, shortie.”

 

Krista’s eyes snapped open and huge blue eyes burned into small brown ones. 

 

Ymir had moved herself onto the compartment between the driver and passenger’s seat, and looked down at the sleeping girl. She was hovering above the smaller girl, her head above Krista’s, her body facing the other way. Her long legs were hanging out of the open doorway, unable to fit into the SUV. 

 

Krista groaned and sat up, heat rushing to her face and she held her head. Ymir backed away, sitting with one hip on the seat and one leg in the car, while the rest of her body hung off

 

“We’re here already?” She asked. 

 

Ymir laughed, “Yeah,” She turned the car off. “Took me an extra few minutes trying to find it, because it’s basically fucking isolated in the middle of nowhere.”

 

Krista released a breathy laugh, “Yeah, that’s true.” 

 

“Let’s get settled, yeah?” Ymir tilted her head before grabbing a cooler out of the back that must’ve belonged to the people that used the car before them, as well as one of their backpacks. 

 

Grabbing her own backpack, Krista slipped around the parked cars of the hotel, and looked up at the giant building in front of them. Eventually Ymir joined her, standing and looking up from her side.

 

“Let’s get it,” She laughed, stepping forward. “We’re finding a room on the first floor, because I’m definitely not carrying this shit all the way up to the fifteen-hundredth floor.” 

 

Krista nodded wistfully in agreement, following after the taller brunette. She made way for Ymir to open the big red doors, and she shakily moved back as Ymir stormed in, knife in hand. It was surprisingly quiet. 

 

“Ambark ain’t this quiet,” She growled, suspicious. “Let’s go, be careful okay?” Signaling to the smaller blonde to proceed with caution.

 

Quietly, Ymir made her way to the reception desk, grabbing the A14 key hanging. It was the only one out of three on the first floor. Maybe there were others staying here? Unless they were all dead. They wouldn’t know, so they slowly, quietly turned down the hall and carefully continued to the sharp right at the end of the hall.

 

“Hands up!” A screech from the down the hall. 

 

Both Ymir and Krista froze in their tracks, turning to the figure at the beginning of the hall where they’d just come from. 

 

“Hands up, now!” 

 

Ymir growled, not obliging, while Krista scaredy thrusted her arms up. Ymir just glared back, teeth bared.

 

“Who are you?” The voice sounded familiar to Krista, as it painfully rang in her ears. The figure began to move closer.

 

“We don’t want trouble,” Ymir informed them. “We just need somewhere to stay.”

 

“Who are you?” The voice repeated, the figure coming even closer.

 

She turned her whole body violently, showing her knife, “Stay back!” 

 

When the figure finally came into light, Krista gasped, and she heard Ymir’s breath falter. The tall, muscled blonde man that stood there widened his eyes at the sight, and his eyebrows immediately dropped and a scowl appeared.

 

“Reiner…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit guys, okay okay, SO. I'm EXTREMELY sorry for the lack of updates, because a lot of stuff has been going down in my personal life (which I won't get into) which, has not only thrown me into a load of therapy, but a hard case of writer's block. So, again, I'm really sorry, and I'm also sorry if this chapter wasn't the best, I'm not all that satisfied with it to be honest, but I was eager to get something posted. Reason being, I started writing this chapter back in late (maybe early??? I don't remember) August, and I left it there for nearly two months before picking it up again, so I'm hella sorry if it isn't great. Next chapter will definitely be better once I regain my footing on this story.  
> ALSO! I'm currently in the process of writing a giant one-shot for Yumikuri (which everyone loves the lovely gay ladies /lenny/) So please stay tuned for that as well!  
> Thanks for reading! I love y'all, and I hope to get the next chapter posted ASAP, so long as everything doesn't go to shit again. lmao

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> So this is the first of many stories on Yumikuri, and I decided to kick off my "new writing career", if you will, with this bad baby! I'm really proud of how I was able to pick myself back up again, not going to lie, and I hope you all enjoy it and look forward to more in the future! 
> 
> Of course, be sure to stick around for more, and I hope you enjoy! Please leave comments down below on what you think, ideas, and feedback! 
> 
> Thanks a bunch for reading!
> 
> ~Jason
> 
> PLEASE FOLLOW ME ON:
> 
> WATTPAD: https://www.wattpad.com/user/Mountain_Phoenix (AmazingJace on Wattpad)
> 
> A03: http://archiveofourown.org/users/AmazingJace (AmazingJace on Archive of Our Own)
> 
> TWITTER: https://twitter.com/_AmazingJace_(_AmazingJace_ on Twitter)
> 
> TUMBLR: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/amazingjace (AmazingJace on Tumblr)


End file.
